Cargilfield 1stXI 180 for 3 (J Wright 36 rtd, A Richmond 31, J Walker 25 rtd)

Dollar Academy 19 all out (A Lyell 3-1-5-7)

Won by 161 runs

Weather wise, his was officially the start of the cricket season as we travelled up to Dollar on what was a gloriously hot and sunny Saturday morning – the perfect cricket weather and idyllic surroundings with blue skies silhouetting the Clackmanninshire hills! It really was picture postcard conditions and it was lovely to have so many parents supporting the boys sitting in deckchairs, sun cream applied and with plenty of bottles of water to hand.

Luckily we won the toss and today James and Archie went in first and put on 58 for the opening wicket, with Archie in particular quick to pick up on anything short and hit it hard to the legside boundary; it was also good to see some excellent running between the wickets, not only by these two, but by all out batsmen and their coach was very complimentary about this aspect of our game afterwards. Archie fell to a rare straight on for a well made 31 and James was retired having scored an excellent 36. Theo and Jamie P then came in and batted really sensibly, pushing the ball in to the covers for singles and they built a nice partnership before they too were retired. Monty was unfortunately run out but then Jamie W played a super innings and it was great to see so many scoring shots through the ‘V’, whilst Rafa and Dexter made the most of the last few overs, before the innings closed on an impressive 180 for the loss of just 3 wickets.

The coach and the spectators were beginning to wilt in the sweltering heat, so perhaps it was fortunate that the Dollar innings did not last long! This was due to one of the most remarkable pieces of bowling I have witnessed in my 19 years running the 1stXI at Cargilfield, and certainly the best bowling figures I have seen. Alexander bowled 3 overs and took 7 wickets for just 5 runs, including four in a row in his 3^rd over…..it was almost reminiscent of Jim Laker at Old Trafford in 1956 when he took all ten against Australia! Certainly a bowling performance to remember, and he bowled a good length, spun the ball and it was great to see a fine catch from Rafa and a sharp stumping from Dexter. At one stage, they were 5 for 8 in the 6^th over, before eventually limping to 19 all out.

Another very impressive performance with bat and ball, and although we were not put under any pressure, we did the basics right: we batted well, treating each ball with respect and not throwing our wickets away, and with the ball we were deadly accurate. Job done, and all of us were keen to find some shade and escape the heat!

Well played, boys, and hopefully the sunshine will continue!